How Luvvie Ajayi Uses Humor to Spark Social Change

Social justice is a super important, but oftentimes heavy topic. However, just because this is the case doesn’t mean that there’s no room for humor! Matter of fact, humor can be one of the greatest weapons when it comes to getting a message across. One of the greatest examples of this is Luvvie Ajayi.

Luvvie Ajayi, who also goes by Luvvie Ajayi Jones, is a 38-year-old author, and a long-time activist. She was born in Nigeria and moved to the United States in the 1990s when she was nine.

Ajayi was growing up in an age when the internet was new and rapidly changing the world. In 2003, she decided to start a blog called AwesomelyLuvvie.com, where she wrote about pretty much anything that interested her.

It was through her blog that she not only learned how to write well, but also how to incorporate humor into topics, and how to connect with people. Her recaps of the TV series “Scandal” gained her a huge bunch of new followers, and even caught the attention of the show’s creator.

She started building a strong follower base, which she called the LuvvNation. In 2016, the New York Times estimated that she was getting around 500,000 readers.

Sometime along Ajayi’s blogging journey, a journalist plagiarized her work. When she went and confronted the journalist about this, she was shocked by the response. Apparently, the journalist didn’t know he was supposed to cite her.

“Did some of us get a limited edition handbook that others didn't get? You know the one that gives instructions on how not to suck?” Ajayi tweeted about the incident, then proceeded to start writing just that - a book on how not to suck.

The book was not only packed with humor and relatable stories but contrary to what one might imply from the title, the book wasn’t meant to put people down. Instead, it encouraged readers to examine their own biases, build social awareness, and become a better version of themselves

I’m Judging You was a major success. It quickly became a New York Times bestseller and received high praise from both fans and critics alike. Even superstars like Oprah Winfrey loved the book. But more than that, the book sparked countless readers to improve themselves from the inside.

Since the launch of I’m Judging You, Luvvie went on to become a leader in the self-improvement world. The book went on to become adapted into a comedy series, Luvvie started two podcasts, and she became the first author to speak at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

In 2021, she launched a new book: Professional Troublemaker. The book is all about speaking up when you have to - even if it leads to uncomfortable situations.

The book talks about empowerment, and being the one to stand up against discrimination, disrespect, and other social issues. She talks about the domino effect, and how all it takes is one brave person to start a chain that leads to tremendous results.

It’s no surprise that the book was once again a New York Times Bestseller. Through her humor and remarkable writing skills, Luvvie Ajayi is truly the first domino in a long chain for change.